Page 88 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

SECTION II Implementing Technology Infusion

Embedding Instructional
Design for Teaching Online

Preparing teacher candidates for an online teaching experience means preparing
them to overcome challenges caused by the lack of face-to-face exchanges with
learners, what Moore (1973) referred to as transactional distance. During online
instruction, teacher candidates experience an increase in transactional distance and
resulting difficulty in communication with learners; candidates begin to note the
difficulty of knowing how well learners have understood their instructions. Teacher
candidates cannot scan their online students for typical cues such as gestures and
facial signals or cast a quick glance at work in progress. Online-based teaching
models can help candidates plan ways to overcome a disruption in communication
that may be more natural in face-to-face transactions. This is only one instructional
design element pertinent to teacher candidates’ preparation.

Strategies for effective teaching in fully online environments can be just as effective
for teaching in partial or blended online settings. Modifying a lesson for an online
learning environment can reinforce skills that teacher candidates develop in prepa-
ration programs geared solely for traditional teaching. Planning to teach students
who are remotely situated can improve skills in instructional design as teacher
candidates 1) develop a clear pathway for progress through a course or lesson, 2)
differentiate instruction for varying learner needs, 3) increase learner engagement
through social interaction, and 4) increase access to relevant learning mate-
rials. Although teacher preparation programs extensively cover lesson planning,
designing for the participation of remote students requires teacher candidates to
acknowledge a host of factors that are out of their immediate control. The inability
to answer questions or provide interventions the moment they arise means that
teacher candidates must clearly introduce online lessons and intentionally design
all instructions in anticipation of the varied learning needs of students whom they
cannot observe (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018).
To anticipate these needs, teacher candidates should understand the sequence of
learning activities that led up to their online lesson. They must provide a clear
pathway through the online unit, sometimes through built-in redundancy of
directions or by including progress markers throughout. As part of the design
process, teacher candidates will need to account for the varying learning needs of
their students, consider accessibility options, and make appropriate modifications

114 Championing Technology Infusion in Teacher Preparation

Excerpted from Chapter 6, “The Necessity of Preparing Teacher Candidates to Teach Online.”

Championing Technology Infusion in Teacher Preparation 88